One of the reasons most people don't notice all the salt is that we as a country have become so used to it. Prepacagked food is so high in salt it is scarry at times. Once I started reading lables my cooking and eating habits, for the most part, changed. Micro-meals, nope.... frozen heat and serve dinners, not any more...and casseroles made with cream-of-anything soup, outta here.

If I am going to consume salt and fat I'd rather choose when I indulge. And I do indulge at times . But I've been trying to cook more and more from scratch.

I always thought when one ate at a chain restaurant, even some of the better ones, it was assumed that sodium content was higher. With all the processed sauces and pre-marinated, processed chicken it's a chance we take when we eat out at these places. I got a salad from McDonald's ONCE and I will never get another one. I think it was the Asian salad? The dressing was horrible along with the chicken - both laden with preservatives!

Now, if you go to a more privately owned, finer dining restaurant, it's not near as bad as most everything should be made from scratch. Though canned goods are still used in a lot of dishes the sauces should be preservative free.

I always thought when one ate at a chain restaurant, even some of the better ones, it was assumed that sodium content was higher. With all the processed sauces and pre-marinated, processed chicken it's a chance we take when we eat out at these places. I got a salad from McDonald's ONCE and I will never get another one. I think it was the Asian salad? The dressing was horrible along with the chicken - both laden with preservatives!

Now, if you go to a more privately owned, finer dining restaurant, it's not near as bad as most everything should be made from scratch. Though canned goods are still used in a lot of dishes the sauces should be preservative free.

I thought that, too, Elf. That's just another reason why I avoid them like the plague. I remember many years ago, stopping at an Arby's when they were new. I couldn't believe they didn't use real beef in their sandwiches. That pressed beef is even nastier than the plastic chicken/turkey sold in so many places! not to mention the sodium content.....

I love my salt, but the sodium count ( and calorie count) in some of those dishes in incredible!!!

I had to recently explain to a friend of mine why I take the time to make my own fish on the grill rather than buy the pre packaged ones in the freezer section. He swore that they had to be low salt because he couldnt taste alot of sodium in the dish.....until we went food shopping and I took my flounder from the fish monger down the road...and we went to Shop rite and he got his "fish fillets" and saw 550 MG..... ahhh the wonders of processed foods.

I had to recently explain to a friend of mine why I take the time to make my own fish on the grill rather than buy the pre packaged ones in the freezer section. He swore that they had to be low salt because he couldnt taste alot of sodium in the dish.....until we went food shopping and I took my flounder from the fish monger down the road...and we went to Shop rite and he got his "fish fillets" and saw 550 MG..... ahhh the wonders of processed foods.

In siome ways these lists are misleading because they are measuring sodium content and not salt.

While salt adds sodium to food, so do many other things, primarily preservatives and flavor enhancers. So something might not taste overtly salty, but could have very high levels of sodium in it.

__________________Less is not more. More is more and more is fabulous.

however, some of the suggestions in the list for how to make it healthier are stupid. like many nutritionists, they miss the point of why we choose to eat something.

for instance, how about the rigatoni romano. that's rigatoni with sausage and a cheesey sauce. their suggestion was to have plain sauce and chicken. well, then why order rigatoni romano?
or have a steak instead of having beef stroganoff, in the beef category. they're not the same thing. why would i order a hunk o' beef if i wanted it with gravy and noodles?

for the chinese food, it says to skip the fried rice with the beef and broccoli. ok, i thought they were seperate dishes to begin with.

and never eat fajitas at any cost, anywhere.

men's health needs better editors.

Agreed Bucky the problem is not fajitas the problem is presevative laden fajitas....

I think all of these preservatives are one of the reasons I tend to start feeling crummy if I eat out too much which is one of the reasons I started cooking in the first place.

I see nothing wring with indulging in tasty food that has high salt and fat on occassion as long as I balance my diet out.... I am not going to worry about salt when it comes to olives or genoa salami but of course these are things to be consumed in moderation.

The problem with these chain joints is that they are feeding you processed industrial product not fresh food. A piece of chicken should be a piece of chicken not a byproduct of NASAs food research.

The problem with these chain joints is that they are feeding you processed industrial product not fresh food. A piece of chicken should be a piece of chicken not a byproduct of NASAs food research

You know, there IS an alternative if Americans will take it.. There are (or perhaps in some areas "used to be" is a better term) independent restaurants -- not all of which are high end -- where one can still get a fantastic meal at reasonable (considering the high cost of everything) prices.

Why is it so many folks are so enamored with the Dominos',Olive Gardens', TGI Fridays', and Red Lobsters of the world? I've never gotten that.

Chef June, I think that so many people are stressed out at the end of the day that's it's so easy to drop in or pick up the phone....living here...there is no fast food or delivery...that doesn't mean that they don't use salt, however, but many places here will take it off if you ask....but you don't have that back-up here----you want pizza you're going to hike for it........and with snow and cold temps most of the year you think twice about it

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The only difference between a "cook" and a "Chef" is who cleans up the kitchen.